Cushioning apparatus for printing-machines



(No Model.)

'2 SheetsSheet 1. R. MIEHLE.

OUSHIONING APPARATUS FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

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R. MIEHLE.

OUSHIONING APPARATUS FOR PRINTING MACHINES.

No. 337.853. Patented Mar. 16, 1886.

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1 ArsNr ROBERT MIEHLE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CUSH IONING APPARATUS FOR PRINTING- MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 337,853, dated March 16, 1886.

Application filed December 7, 1883. Serial No. 113,864.

To a. whom it may concern.-

E5136 it known that I, ROBERT MIEHLE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and use ful Improvementin Cushioning Apparatus for Printing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The present invention relates to that class of printing-presses in which the momentum of the reciprocating bed which carries the form is checked near the end of its stroke by means of an air-cushion, and the energy stored up for overcoming the inertia of the bed and starting it in the opposite direction; and to allow the press-bed to be moved by hand at the end of each stroke, or when running at a slow speed, escape-valves have been connected to the air'cushion apparatus, the valves receiving operation by hand, the valves being opened to allow some or all of the air to escape from the cylinders, as the occasion required, and in other devices the valve has been actuated automatically by a governor or regulator.

The present invention relates particularly to the class actuated automatically by a governor.

In practical use of these devices it has been found that the piston-heads (or pl ungers) must be adjusted to enter more or less into the cylinders, to regulate the cushion with the speed of the press, as the governor, acting upon the valve direct to close and open the same, is

a wholly incapable device to regulate the air in the cushioning-cylinders according with the speed of the press, this being due to the fact that the press-bed requires almost the same amount of cushion to assist it on its return movement as that which is necessary to check the momentum of the bed at the end of its stroke. It is also due to the fluttering of the valve, which is caused by the slight cheeking up of the press mechanism when the cushioning operation takes place. In consequence of the above defects the governor or regulator actuating the valve direct is only used to open the valve when running at a (No model.)

slow speed, when no cushioning for the bed is required, and closing the same when running at speed.

The object of the present invention is to overcome these defects, so that the air will be confined in the cushioning -cylinders when regulated by the governor according to the speed of the press, to assist the bed on its return movement.

- The invention consists in the combination of the cylinders and pistons, a valve to control the air therein, and governor, and means for engaging and closing said valve, operating in unison with the speed of the press, substantially as herein described, to confine the air in the cylinder when regulated by the governor according to the speed or momentum of the part to be resisted.

It also consists in other combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

These objects are attained by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, illustrating my improved automatic cushioning apparatus applied to a cylinder printing-press. Fig. 2 is a detached view, in elevation, of the automatic governing and valve-actuating mechanism. Fig. 3 is a detail plan of same, partly in section. Fig. 4 is a detail section of the preferred form of valve employed in connection with my improved apparatus. Fig. 5 is a detached view of a modified form of my improvement, illustrating the employment of a fan governor instead of a centrifugal governor, as in Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 6 is a detail view, in side elevation, of a modified form of my invention, in which stepped or inclined valveoperating faces are formed directly upon the face of the operating-cams. Fig. 7 is a detail end elevation of the same. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of one of the cams of the last-mentioned con struction. Fig. 9 is a detail view, in side elevation, of another modified form of my invention, in which the inclined-face valve-operating block is made vertically adjustable and the valve-operating lever stationary. Fig. 10

is a detail side elevation of another modification, in which the valve is arranged on a tubular piston-rod connecting the two pistons of the cushioning apparatus with a single vertically adjustable cam-block for opening the valve at the proper time.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in the several views.

The general construction of the printing mechanism is of any of the ordinary and wellknown forms, and the cushioning apparatus is also, in its general construction and arrangement, of the usual form, consisting of a pair of cylinders, A A, secured at the opposite ends of the press-frame and made open-ended toward each other, so as to receive th eir respective pistons a a, which are connected by theirrods a a to the bracket 1) on the under side of the reciprocating bed B of the press, the arrangement being such that as the bed nears the end of its stroke in either direction one of such pistons will enter its cushioning-cylinder to compress a quantity of air therein and offer a resistance to the momentum of the said bed, the air thus compressedexpanding again against the piston upon the reversal of the bed, to aid in overcoming the inertia of the same.

In the construction illustrated in the drawings the two cylinders are secured to the ends of the pressframe, communication being made between the closed ends by means of a pipeconnection, having a suitable valve, 0, which may be of any of the ordinary forms, either plug, piston, or balanced puppct, as may be found most desirable.

In the drawings there is shown'a narrowslitted plug-valve as my preferred form on account of its cheapness, simplicity, and durability in use. This valve is provided with an operating-stem, c, carrying an arm, 0', which is turned by means of an inclined-face sliding block, D, that has a positive reciprocation imparted to it by means of the cams d 11 upon a shaft geared to the driving-gear of the press, the gearing being such that said cams will make a complete revolution during the time in which the reciprocating bed is making a complete forward and return movement.

In the construction shown the movement of the cams d d (and consequent speed of the valve-operating slide D) will be uniform with that of the bed, the one cam, 12, closing the valve and allowing it to open at the proper time for the cylinder A, and the other cam, 01, closing the valve and allowing it to open at the proper time for the cylinder A. The cams d d will be so formed and positioned as to close the valve 0 when eithercf the pistons commences to enter its cylinder and allow the valve to be opened by the spring 0 at the same point on a reverse motion of the bed, such movements of the valve only taking place when the press has attained a predetermined speed, which causes the automatic governor, to be hereinafter described, to move the valvearm cinto position to be operated by the valveoperating slide D, which has its inclined valve-lifting face inclined toward the axis of M relation to vertically-inclined edge of the operating-slide D, the arrangement being such that the greater the speed of the press the greater will be the lift of the valve-operating arm 0, and the sooner will be the action of the valve-operating slide/D to close the valve,

and thereby'form a greater amount of cushion in the cylinders, so as to compensate for the increased momentum of the bed. By this means the amount of air confined in the cylinders to form a cushion will be automatically regulated in accordance with the speed or momentum of the press; and in order to compensate for a change in the weight caused by the use of heavier or lighter type-forms upon the press'bed, the governor is provided with a counterpoisearm, e, and adjustable counterpoise E, which can be adjusted to change the operation of the governing mechanism and accurately compensate for an increase or decrease of weight carried by the press-bed.

While the above automatic mechanism is my preferred mode of carrying out my invention, yet it. is evident that the governor may be omitted, and the adjustment of the device for regulating the cushion with accordanceto the speed of the press can be effected by hand and while the press is in motion.

The grooves d in the inclined valve-operating face of the slide D are for the purpose of holding and guiding the anti-friction disk '0 upon the end of the valve-operating arm 0, the flat face d of said slide being made plain, so as to permit of said arm being drawn out of engagement therewith by the drawing together of governor-balls when the press stops upon or near its center, or before a reverse motion has been imparted to the bed, this action of the governor releasing the arm 0, so that it will be operated by the spring 0", to open the valve 0 and release the air, in order to allow of easy movement of the press by hand from such position.

The valve-operating arm 0 has a free vertical movement upon the valve-stem a, but the two are caused to turn together by means of a key or spline engaging in a groove or slot in the other, as clearly indicated in Figs. 2 and 3.

In use the valve-operating slide D will be retracted by means of a spring, D, a portion of which is illustrated in Fig. 2, yet other equivalent means may be employed without departing from the spirit of this portion of my invention.

I do not limit myself to the use of a cenvar in len ths of time in unison with chan es b C b eled-stepped faces which gradually recede trifugal governor, E, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, as any other form of governor may be used. Among these may be mentioned the hydraulic governor and blast-fan governor.

In Fig. 5 I illustrate a modified form of blast-fan governor in connection with my improvements. In this the fan proper, F, will be driven by the mechanism of the press in any usual way, its blast-throatf having arranged over it a flaring cap, f, which is forced up to a greater or less degree, in accordance with the force of the blast of air, and this cap will be connected with the valve-operating arm c'in manner similar to that hereinbefore described, and as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5. v

As modifications of my improvements First. The cylinders can be arranged to move with the bed and the pistons made stationary, in which case the piston-rods a" will be made tubular and the Valve (3 arranged in the same, the valve operating and regulating mechanism being arranged in connection with such valve in a manner substantially as here inbefore described.

Second. Instead of the valve-operating arm 0 being made automatically adjustable, it can be made stationary upon its valve-stem, and the operating part of the valve-operating slide D made separate and connected to the governor, as indicated in Fig. 9, so as to be automatically adjusted thereby in a manner similar to that described in connection with the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. With this construction the movable part of the valveoperating block will be provided with a tixed upwardly-extending arm, (1*, pro vided with an anti-friction roller that moves in a horizontal groove in the vertically-adjustable cross-head D which is rigidly connected to the governor-rod.

Third. In some cases the valve can be placed on a tubular piston-rod carrying the pistons a a, and have motion communicated to its valve-operating arm 0 to close the valve (3 at in the speed of the press by means of a centrallyarranged inclined and grooved block, D, that is arranged in slides, so as to be capable of an adjustment in a vertical direction only by connection to the governor E, as indicated in Fig. 10.

Fourth. In some cases the inclined faces (I that are employed to operate the valve 0 may be formed upon the face ofthe cams d d, in order to dispense with the slide D and operate the valve direct. This modification is illustrated in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, and consists of a pair of cams, d d, formed with a series of bevfrom the center of the cam, as indicated in Fig. 8. WVith this construction the anti-friction roller 0 of the valve-operating arm 0 will be positioned in front of and arranged to have an adjustment across the front of such stepped cam-faces, which adjustment is effected by a pendent rock-arm that forms a part of the governor, and which engages in fa circular groove in the hub of said roller, as shown.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an air-cushion apparatus, the combination, with the cylinder and piston, a valve to control the air therein, and governor, of a positive actuated cam, and mechanism, substantially as described, interposed between said cam and valve, for engaging and closing said valve, operating in unison with the speed of the press, substantially as herein described, to confine the air in the cylinder when regulated by the governor, according to the speed or momentum of the part to be resisted, as set forth.

2. The combination of a cylinder and piston, a valve, and a valve-closing device the operating part or face of which is inclined in two directions, essentially as set forth.

3. The combination of a cylinder and piston, a valve, a valve-closing device substantially as described, the operating part or face of which is inclined in two directions, and governor, essentially as set forth.

4. The combination of a cylinder and piston, a valve, a reciprocating slide for closing said valve, the operating part or face of which is inclined in two directions, and a governor to automatically change the time of closin and opening said valve, essentially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. he combination of a cylinder and piston, a valve, an inclined-face valve-operating device, substantially as described, provided with a series of stepped grooves, 01 and a governor to automatically change said groove with which the valve-arm engages to close said valve, essentially as set forth.

6. The combination of a cylinder and piston, a valve, and a valve-operating device, substantially as described, having its operating part or face inclined in a vertical and horizontal direction for engaging the valve-arm, essentially as set forth.

7. The combination of a cylinder and piston, a valve, and the valve-operating device, substantially as described, provided with a series of stepped grooves, d, and a smooth surface, (Z essentially as set forth.

8. The combination of acylinder and piston, a valve, a valveclosing device, substantially as described, inclined in two directions, and cams d d, essentially as set forth.

9. The combination of a cylinder and piston, a valve, a valve-operating device, substantially as described, inclined in two directions, and a governor provided with a counterpoise-arm, e, and an adjustable counterpoise, E, essentially as set forth.

10. The combination of a cylinder and piston, a valve, an inclined-face valve-operating device, substantially as described, and a valve-operating arm capable of an adjustment upon the stem of said valve, essentially as set In testimony whereoflwitness my hand this forth. 1st day of December, 1883.

1 1. In a cushioning apparatus, the cornbi- I V nation, with a cylinder and piston, a valve, gov ROBERT MIEHLE.

5 ernor, and the device D, substantially as described, of a cam for closing said valve to In presence ofconfine the air in the cushioning-cylinder, es- H. D. SMALLEY, sentially as set forth. I ROBT. BURNS. 

